USA > Vermont > Washington County > Barre > One hundred fifty years of Methodism in Barre > Part 8
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Mrs. Lucia Page
February 9, 1889
Miss Alice Beckley
February 10, 1889
Mrs. Lucy Sowden
February 10, 1889
Thomas H. Cave
January 6, 1890
Arthur W. Robinson
July 6, 1890 January 23, 1894
Alfred A. Boyce
Mrs. George F. Ball
November 4, 1894
Mrs. Ernest Hutchinson
December 27, 1896
E. M. Lyon
March 7, 1897
Mrs. H. W. Scott
September 5, 1897
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Mrs. Hattie Scribner
October 25, 1897
Mrs. A. B. Coffin
September 4, 1898
Nathanial Keith
November 6, 1898
Mrs. L. D. Martin
January 7, 1900
Dr. L. D. Martin
January 7, 1900
Mrs. Eva Higgs
September 2, 1900
At a late hour, the group went to the sanctuary where the final, impressive anniversary service was conducted by the pastor, and on the stroke of twelve, ten new members were admitted to Hedding fellowship.
A number of memorial gifts were made to Hedding Church during this anniversary occasion. Miss Ellen Hoar
The Colonel Walker Farmhouse
The log cabin in which the first Methodist meeting in Barre was held in 1796 was located a short distance from this house.
gave a saucer which had been used in the Colonel Walker farm house, in memory of her grandparents, Lewis and Morancy Keith, and their only daughter Mary. Adeline Wheeler, descendent of the Ezekiel Dodge Wheeler who bid
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off the right to name the town in 1793, gave this saucer to Miss Hoar's mother. Mr. and Mrs. Earl Batchelder gave candlesticks in memory of her mother, Mrs. Camp, and new offering plates were the gift of Mrs. Harold Hawes in her husband's memory.
Margaret Donald contributed a sum of money to be used toward redecorating the altar. Harold Olliver, whose death on Christmas morning following a tragic illness, sad- dened the entire community, had given $100 toward the purchase of a sound projector.
DONORS OF MEMORIAL CANDLES
Nelson Abbiati and Mrs. Laura Bartlett in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Abbiati
Dr. and Mrs. Dante Aimi in memory of Alfredo Aimi
Mrs. Teklah Anderson in memory of Arthur Anderson
Miss Julia Austin
Misses Agnes and Eleanor Bailey
Mr. and Mrs. Ferd Batchelder
Mr. and Mrs. Harry L. Blanchard
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond H. Bosworth
Mr. Alfred A. Boyce in memory of Ethel Trow Boyce
Mr. and Mrs. Glenn C. Carpenter
Miss Helen D. Cate
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Cave, Jr., in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Cave, Sr.
Mrs. Andreana Cerasoli
Dr. and Mrs. M. F. Cerasoli
Mrs. Mae L. Counter
Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Cushman in memory of Philip Cushman
Dr. and Mrs. H. J. Cutler
Col. and Mrs. Gerald A. Bixby in memory of Mr. and Mrs. B. W. Hooker
Mr. and Mrs. Neale W. Hooker
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Cutts
Mrs. Earle R. Davis and Mr. and Mrs. Deane C. Davis in memory of Judge Earle R. Davis
Mr. and Mrs. Jasper O. Draffin and Rev. L. Olin Sherburne in memory of Rev. Joseph A. Sherburne and Miss Ada Sherburne
Dr. and Mrs. Howard A. Drew
Mr. and Mrs. Truman L. Eastman
Mrs. Carlo Fantoni
Charles Fantoni
The Farquharson-St. Cyr Circle Mrs. A. B. Foster Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Foster
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Mr. and Mrs. Renzo Fumagalli Mr. and Mrs. Clyde G. Fussell
Dr. George B. and George W. Gage in memory of Dr. T. Mae Gage Mrs. Clyde Gamble
The Gamma Delta Club in memory of deceased members Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Gray The Higgs Circle
Mrs. Eva Higgs and family
Mr. William Olliver
Mr. Charles Olliver and
Mrs. William E. Bailey
in memory of Mr. and Mrs. William Olliver and other departed members of the family
Henry H. Holt
Orpha H. Littel
Harry D. Holt
Mrs. Mattie H. Snow and Lester Holt, Jr.
in memory of N. Lowessa Holt
Mr. Herbert Hunt and family
Mrs. Sadie Jackson
Dr. and Mrs. D. C. Jarvis Mrs. Nelson Jenkins
Mr. and Mrs. Albin Johansson
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Lawson
Mrs. Emily Livendale
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Lylon
Miss Nora D. Lyon
Mr. and Mrs. J. Lee Magoon
Mrs. Stanley Marsh
Dr. and Mrs Raymond L. Martin in memory of Harry S. and Belle Moore Parks
Dr. and Mrs. L. D. Martin in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Kenerson
Mrs. L. D. Martin in memory of Mrs. Charles H. Farnsworth
Dr. Raymond L. Martin Hildreth F. Martin
Mr. H. Proctor Martin and
Mrs. Victoria Martin Boyce
in observance of Dr. and Mrs. L. D. Martin's fifty-fourth wedding anni- versary
Mrs. Ida and Miss Hilda Martinson in memory of John, Edith and Oscar Martinson Aldo Molinaroli Gelsi J. Monti
Mr. and Mrs. William Morrison
Dr. and Mrs. Ralph E. Noble
Mr. and Mrs. Guy L. Norris
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Olliver and family
Mr. and Mrs. Ego Parnigoni in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Parnigoni Mr. and Mrs. Eric Pirie Miss Eula Poole
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Miss Mildred Ralston
Mr. and Mrs. Willard R. Reed
Mrs. Hattie and Dr. Ernest V. Reynolds in memory of Clyde Reynolds Mr. and Mrs. Wayne B. Sabens
Dr. and Mrs. Alexander H. Smith and Mr. and Mrs. Byron Wright in memory of Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Smith and Carroll C. Smith
Mr. and Mrs. A. Leroy Smith in memory of Mr. and Mrs. A. T. Smith Mrs. Fred L. Smith
Miss Leda B. Stevens in memory of Mr. and Mrs. S. H. Barnes and Miss Edith H. Barnes
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Taplin Mrs. Elna Tracy Miss Lilla Tracy
Mr. and Mrs. E. C. Webster in memory of Myrtle Esther Webster Mr. and Mrs. William Wheaton
Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Whitcomb
Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Wishart in memory of Mrs. Tilea Trow and Frank Trow
The Woman's Society of Christian Service in memory of deceased members
The Hedding Youth Fellowship
At the beginning of the sesquicentennial, the only his- tory of the Barre Methodist Church in existence was Dr. Davenport's METHODISM IN BARRE, published in seventeen issues of the BARRE DAILY TIMES in 1905. These were by now in exceedingly perishable condition. Noting this, and believing that an institution that has sur- vived one hundred fifty years should have a clear record of those years, Dr. Martin requested that this history be writ- ten and published as part of the anniversary observance. The first copy of this book will be mailed to Dr. Ralph F. Lowe, the oldest living pastor of Hedding Church.
Perhaps it is fitting to close the story of the first one hundred fifty years of Methodism in Barre with the presenta- tion of the cross now standing before one of the center stained glass windows in the sanctuary. The cross is the gift of Doris Eastman. It was made from one of the window casings of the historic first Methodist Church in Barre, which was built in 1801. This building, it will be recalled, was sold to become eventually Reynolds & Son hardware store and is now in the hands of the third generation of that family.
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To secure a suitable piece of wood was not an easy task, for this old building has in recent years been through fire, November 2, 1915, and flood, November 3, 1927, to say no- thing of the heavy storms, the blistering suns and the bitter cold that it has weathered for nearly a century and a half. The people of Hedding Church are grateful for the gracious cooperation and generosity of Miss Cleora Reynolds in giv- ing her permission for the removal of a section of the build- ing for the making of the cross. In order to be absolutely certain that the material was a part of the old first church, Miss Eastman sought the invaluable counsel of Earl Batch- elder, who went to Reynolds store and chose a window case- ment from the room on the third floor, which matched ex- actly the casement which can be seen from Main street. Incidentally, this room was probably directly beneath the tower of the church. In selecting the window casing, Mr. Batchelder stated that there is absolutely no doubt but what it was a part of the first Methodist Church. Miss Eastman secured the services of a cabinet maker in Montpelier for the making of the cross.
This generation will pass away but those coming after will gaze at this unpretentious symbol and remember that it was once a part of the church which those earlier Methodists so fervently desired and for which they sacrificed so much. Perhaps Methodists of today, looking on this memento of a glorious past, will now and again hear the echo of the time- less words:
In the cross of Christ I glory, Towering o'er the wrecks of time; All the light of sacred story Gathers round its head sublime.
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CONCLUSION
Thus, the conclusion of the story of Methodism's one hundred fifty years in Barre has been reached-and much has been left unsaid.
Some one hundred fifteen ministers have been in charge of this church; they are listed at the end of this book. Of some of them no mention is made in this history because no record could be found concerning their work here, or per- taining to the church life during their term of service. As for those who are mentioned, no attempt has been made to compare or evaluate the importance of their service, for the church itself, and the church alone, is the main interest of this book. These ministers have been true men of God who gave unstintingly of their time, their energy, and their ability to the cause they represented. It is in no small degree due to their leadership and inspiration that Hedding Church has come such a long way.
There are the ministers' wives-those unsung saints! While the clergyman chooses his arduous profession by pre- ference, the wife, choosing but the man, too often finds a heavy burden of the profession's obligations wished upon her. Hedding Church has been singularly fortunate in its minis- ters' wives. They were, literally, helpmeets. Lending courage to their husbands, strength to their families, and consistent inspiration to the whole church body, surely their names will be among the foremost on the roll of the blessed!
A great many individual gifts have been made to this church. Both large sums of money and the "widow's mite" have flowed into the coffers, all acceptable and necessary for the maintenance of the church's high standard of ser-
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vice, especially since very few endowments have ever been established here. There have been beautiful memorial gifts also, such as the stained glass windows, but the dates and circumstances of their presentation are not available.
The large number of church groups such as the various Sunday school classes, the choirs, the missionary bands, the youth groups, the men's clubs, the women's circles, and the church officers have been but lightly touched upon in this history. They were an integral and indispensable part of the church organization, and their activities were many and valuable. The fairs, sales, and entertainments spon- sored by them for various good purposes were legion.
Innumerable men and women have belonged to this church in the one hundred fifty years of its existence. It was obviously impossible to comment on their individual achieve- ments in the work of the church. Only when names were an integral part of this history are they given. Yet, without question, the laymen have been the church's greatest asset. Without them, the eloquence and wisdom of the many preachers would have availed nothing. They were always present; they did the work; they were the steady, faithful, devoted, unvarying essence, though ministers came and went.
Although some of the details in the life of this church hre lacking, this story of Methodism has attempted to pre- sent a panoramic view of the main events that took place, and in a small way to depict the abiding faith and devotion that motivated the church body.
For a period of a few months, Hedding Church mem- bers have been glancing backwards at their rich history, studying their glorious traditions. Now, accepting the challenge of these, they are again turning to the present with all its urgent problems, and to the unknown future, with a new will and a new faith to advance still further along the same road upon which Barre Methodism made its humble start so many years ago.
This is the conclusion, the last page and the last sent- ence, in the story of Methodism's one hundred fifty years in Barre, Vermont-but Hedding Church marches on.
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SOURCE MATERIAL
Vermont Historical Gazetteer, Volume 2-Hemenway
Washington County Gazetteer-Child
Orange County Gazetteer-Child
Minutes of the New Hampshire Annual Conference, 1844
Minutes of the Vermont Conference, 1848, 1861
Official Journal of the Vermont Conference, 1906-1916, 1939
Vermont Annual Conference, 1934
Zion's Herald and Wesleyan Journal, Feb. 25, 1846
Daily Christian Advocate, May 28, 1864, May 28, 1868
The Methodist Almanac, 1854
Historical Souvenir of Barre, 1894
Methodism in Barre, Barre Daily Times, Jan. 12-31, 1905-Davenport Barre in Review a Century and a Half, Barre Daily Times, Jan. 15- July 29, 1931-Perry
Aldersgate in Vermont
History of the Vermont Annual Conference Woman's Home Missionary Society-Mrs. Walter R. Davenport
Hedding Herald, Feb. 28, 1930-Dec. 23, 1932
One Hundred and Twenty-five Years of Methodism in Williamstown- Davenport
Re-Dedication Booklet and Year Book, 1933
The Story of Methodism-Luccock-Hutchinson
Methodism in American History-Sweet
Zion's Herald, June 3, 1931
The New Adult Bible Class, March, 1919
Life, Nov. 10, 1947
Barre Daily Times, Sept. 15, Oct. 2, Oct. 4, Oct. 15, Ncv. 3, 1947, Jan. 2, Jan. 9, 1948
Vermont Historical Society
Minutes of the Trustees Meetings, 1908-1943
Minutes of the Official Board Meetings, 1921-1947
Legal Records of the Church
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The HF Group Indiana Plant 079167 E 44 00 12/15/2006
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